Hassock



HASSOCK Filed Oct. 10, 1966 HIV ha \I W 1, L

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ATTORNEYS 3,382,001 HASSOCK Herman E. Schafer, 285 Highfield Lane, Nutley, N.J.,

07110, and Ford Stephens, 175 N. Maple Ave, Greenwich, Conn. 06830 Filed Oct. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 585,654 3 Claims. (Cl. 297-462) ABSTRACT OF THE DTSCLOSURE This hassock is constituted by a hollow core having a top wall and a peripheral wall perpendicular to the top. The walls are formed of injection molded expanded polystyrene and are covered outside with decorative plastic sheet material that is heat sealed at the seams.

This invention relates to hassocks and, more particul arly, relates to an improved hassock construction in which the hassock is lightweight, capable of more economical construction, and provides an improved service life.

Hassocks have been a relatively popular article of furniture. Hassocks of small sizes are used as foot rests. Larger size hassocks are used as articles of furniture for seating.

The most popular covering for hassocks has been the plastic sheet material, such as vinyl sheets, Where the surface can be embossed to simulate leather and, which material provides both long life and desired texture. By far the most popular form of hassock construction has been to assemble the sheet material together to define the top wall of the hassock and the peripheral wall extending vertically therefrom. For example, the peripheral wall might be the side and end wall of a rectangular or square hassock or might be a continuous wall of a circular hassock form. Immediately under the sheet material, there is applied foam pads. The sheet material is secured to gether in strong manner as by sewing. The hassock is then filled with a filler, such as kapok or excelsior inserted into the hassock body under press pressures. It is neces sary to press the material into the hassock under relatively high pressures so as to provide a body capable of main taining its outline configuration.

However, with this form of construction, the hassock is quite heavy. In addition, to maintain the outer skin of the hassock, the points of securement of abutting wall surfaces must be strongly fastened as by sewing. Thus, the manufacturing expense is relatively high since more convenient methods of securement such as heat sealing cannot be employed. The relatively high weight of the hassocks increase shipping costs and is undesirable to the user since the hassock cannot be moved conveniently.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved hassock construction in which the hassock is of much lighter weight with the required struc tural strength.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved hassock construction which can be manufactured more economically.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a hollow core of lightweight cellular plastic such as expanded polystyrene. The core is provided with a top wall and a peripheral wall extending perpendicular thereto. A plastic sheet material is applied around the peripheral wall and the edges thereof secured together. A plastic sheet is applied over the top wall and secured to the plastic sheet material encircling the peripheral wall. Foam pads are provided under the sheet material to provide the desired texture and padding. For hassocks of large size, the hollow core is provided with integrally formed struts extending from the top wall United States Patent to the side walls to provide the necessary structural rigidity with a lightweight configuration.

With this construction, a very light hassock is assembled having the desired structural rigidity. Since the core defines the shape of the hassock, the covering material need not withstand the internal pressures of stufiing material and, thus, can be applied and secured thereto in more economical manner.

Having briefly described this invention, it will be described in greater detail along with other objects and advantages, in the following portions of the specification, which may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hassock constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectioned view taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of another embodiment of the instant invention; and

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is: shown a hassock 10 of rectangular format. The hassock is constructed using a hollow core 12 of lightweight cellular plastic such as expanded polystyrene having a top wall 14 and peripheral walls 16 extending perpendicular to said top wall.

The core 12 is preferably injection molded expanded polystyrene to enable precise dimensional control as well as control of the density of the material. The material density is usually in the range of 1.25 to 2.25 lbs/cu. ft. The higher density material offers greater strength with some increase in the weight of construction. Typically, a hassock might be 12 x 18". The side walls would be 3 /2" thick and the top wall would be 4" thick.

The peripheral wall is covered with a foam pad 18 over which is applied a finishing material .20. The finishing material is preferably a plastic sheet material as, for example, a vinyl sheet, the outer surface of which may be embossed to simulate leather, if so desired. The foam pad 18 is preferably a /2" polyurethane foam, primarily applied to give the material of the peripheral wall the desired feel as well as to eliminate the undesired appearance of sharpness at the corners. We prefer to bond the foam pad directly to the vinyl sheet and to apply the sheet and foam to the peripheral walls as a unit. A portion of the edge is left exposed and is overlapped and heat sealed along a seam 22. The seam may be sewn. However, since the core does not exert force on the side walls even when a load is applied to the top, heat scaling is, in most cases, quite adequate and is, of course, far faster and more economical to manufacture.

Similarly, the top wall is covered with a foam pad 24 and an overlying finishing material 26. The foam pad on the top is considerably thicker than the pad on the side wall. For example, a 1" thick polyurethane foam 24 provides the desired cushioning on the top wall. The top wall sheet 26 is preferably folded around the edge of the pad 24 and joined with the terminal edge 28 thereof secured to the edge 30 of the peripheral Wall and enclosed within a welting strip 32. The entire assembly may be heat sealed together. The welt may be provided with a form defining rope 34 for the purposes of improving the appearance thereof. The bottom of the hassock may be completed by applying a bottom cover 36 which may, for example, be a cardboard sheet applied to the bottom opening and covered by an overlapping portion 40 of the peripheral wall. As is conventional, a lifting flap 42 may be applied at opposed portions of the peripheral Wall to provide a convenient means for moving the hassock.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the hassock construction is quite light since the core is hollow. Thus, shipping costs are reduced considerably without affecting the life or the comfort of the assembled unit. Further, since the core defines the shape of the hassock, the outer fabric or sheet covering need not withstand stufling pressure. During use, loads applied to the top are not transmitted through a solid core to the peripheral wall tending to rupture the seam. Thus, the seams are preferably formed by heat sealing which is far quicker and more effective in assembly than sewing, although sewing may be used, if desirable. The side wall thickness is controlled by the intended load. It has been found that a side wall of approximately 3 /2 thick is perfectly adequate for most intended loads. With a cellular plastic, however, a top wall thickness must be increased as the surface area of the top wall increases. In addition, of course, the density of the material may be controlled. It has been found that a density in the range of 1.25 to 2.25 is most desirable from the viewpoint of molding speed, curing times and the like. When the hassock size exceeds approximately 20" in diameter, increase in the top wall thickness and increase in the density of the material to provide the requisite strength often becomes clumsy in that the top wall thickness becomes excessive and the weight of the core becomes too high and, in such cases, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 may advantageously be employed.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, there is shown the core 44 for a large circular hassock as, for example, a hassock 22" in diameter or more, which is formed of injection molded cellular plastic, such as expanded polystyrene. The core has a top wall 46 and a peripheral wall 48 extending perpendicular thereto. However, integrally formed with and molded at the same time as the core, there are provided radially extending struts 50 extending between the side wall and the top wall. The struts as shown are triangular in configuration but may, of course, extend to the bottom of the core throughout the entire radial distance. We prefer the triangular sections because they provide the requisite strength with minimum material. With this form of construction, a 4" thick top wall may be utilized for large, round hassocks since the struts help to support the top wall. Thus, excessive top wall thickness and material density is avoided. Although four struts have been indicated, fewer or more struts may be used. The core is maintained essentially as a hollow core, retaining the attribute of lightness.

In the hassocks constructed in accordance with the present invention, the reduction in weight is quite significant. The hassocks so formed weigh about a third as much as hassocks constructed by prior art stuffed kapok construction. Further, even though hassocks constructed in accordance with the present invention are lighter in weight, they retain the design shape during use. The hassock shape is defined by the core. Thus, loads applied to the top are not transmitted to the side walls as with present stuffed construction. For this reason, We have found that the gradual deterioration of hassock shape common to stuffed construction during constant and/or heavy use is not encountered in hassocks made in accordance with our invention. Instead, with our hassocks, permanence of shape is provided.

The manufacturing steps for the hassock of the present invention is compatible with current manufacturing techniques. The vinyl skin may be formed securing the top and peripheral wall to edges 28, 30 respectively under the welt 32. The pads 24, 18 may then be inserted and the padded skin slipped over the core 12. The edges 40 may then be overlapped and bottom wall 36 applied. As mentioned, pads 24, 18 may be preformed on the skin, the skin formed and slipped over the core. Alternatively, the pads may be applied to the core prior to applying the skin. However, the advantages as outlined above of our hassock construction also permit different manufacturing techniques such as direct assembly of the skin on the core should economies in production result.

This invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hassock comprising a hollow core of a light-weight cellular plastic having a top wall and a peripheral wall extending perpendicular to said top wall, said hollow core including struts of said cellular plastic from the peripheral wall to said top wall and integrally formed therewith to support said top wall, and a covering of sheet material applied to said top wall and to said peripheral wall and joined between said top Wall and said peripheral wall.

2. A hassock comprising a hollow core of an injection modled expanded polystyrene having a density in the range of 1.25 to 2.25 lbs/cu. feet, said core having a top wall and a peripheral wall extending perpendicular to said top wall, and a covering of sheet material comprising vinyl sheet material applied to said top wall and encircling said peripheral wall and joined along the abutting edges between said top wall and said peripheral wall said covering encircling said peripheral wall being heat sealed at the abutting edges thereof and said top wall being heat sealed to the peripheral wall along the abutting seam.

3. A hassock in accordance with claim 2 including struts of injection molded expanded polystyrene extending from said peripheral wall to said top wall for supporting said top wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,950,505 8/1960 Frank 26445 X 3,002,789 10/1961 Brown 297462 3,222,698 12/1965 Levenson 5-361 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,357,027 2/ 1964 France.

CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner.

BOBBY R. GAY, Examiner. 

